Vivacious Volante

… it’s the Aston Martin’s Vanquish Volante – a stunning-looking new luxury sports car that brings a thrill to open-top motoring to the super GT class.

Releasing early in 2014, it replaces the existing DBS Volante and is packed with some superb not so little fine details.

‘Such as what?’ I hear you call. Well, to begin with, it boasts a new AM11 6.0-litre V12 engine and some blistering performance figures, meaning the 0-62 mph sprint is despatched in just 4.1 seconds while the top speed stands at 183 mph.

The car is also the first fully carbon fibre-skinned Volante in the brand’s 100-year history, while also being the stiffest Volante body structure yet created by the engineering team at Aston Martin’s global HQ in Warwickshire, not to mention the new car’s triple-skin lightweight fabric roof takes just 14 seconds to fold.

The design of Vanquish Volante represents the latest take on Aston Martin’s iconic visual language. Styling cues such as the elegant waist, elongated side strakes and LED rear light blades are derived from the One-77 supercar while the folding fabric roof sits beneath a tonneau and decklid that have been aerodynamically tuned for optimum performance.

The windscreen, meanwhile, is now full height – a first for Aston Martin – which means that the glass runs up to meet the fabric roof, thereby achieving a particularly clean transition.

As practical as it is well-dressed, the Vanquish Volante boasts a boot that’s fully 50% larger than that of the previous DBS Volante. It measures 279 litres – roof up or down.

Perhaps one of the most striking interior design elements is the centre stack with refinements providing a more elegant form that is also more intuitive and accessible for both driver and front seat passenger.

The V12’s power peak of 573 PS (565 bhp) arrives at 6,750 rpm while the torque peak of 620 Nm (457 lb ft) is available at 5,500 rpm. These numbers translate into performance that matches the Vanquish coupe’s and ensures the new car supports its Super GT billing.